Weeks passed. Varyan reached Level 12, then 13.
[New ability: "Fragment Link" – Share energy with nearby Order bearer. Range: 30 feet. Tobin's fragment reserve now supplements Varyan's.]
They made small forays outside the academy, hunting minor Chaos creatures to test their skills. Each kill brought experience, shards, and confidence.
But the Lord Harvest didn't forget them.
One evening, Lira burst into the scriptorium, pale and breathless.
"There's a girl in the infirmary," she said. "She was found in the forest, half-frozen. She keeps talking about 'crumbs' and 'the Architects.' I think she's one of you."
Varyan ran.
The infirmary was quiet. Healer Greer was off duty, replaced by a tired-looking assistant who didn't ask questions when Varyan said he was visiting a friend.
The girl lay on a cot, wrapped in blankets. She was maybe twelve, with tangled brown hair and sunken eyes. Her lips were blue.
[Order fragment detected: Order Fragment 09. Bearer: unknown. Status: severe hypothermia and fragment exhaustion.]
Varyan knelt beside her. "Hey. Can you hear me?"
Her eyes fluttered open. They were brown—ordinary brown—but when she blinked, they flickered gold.
"Order bearer," she whispered. "You're... like me."
"I'm Varyan. What's your name?"
"Elara. Elara Moss. Tobin's... cousin."
Tobin pushed past Varyan, his face white. "Elara? Elara!"
She smiled weakly. "Hey, cuz. Miss me?"
"What happened? Where are your parents?"
Elara's smile faded. "The Harvesters came. They killed everyone. I ran. I ran for three days." She looked at Varyan. "They're coming here next. I heard them. They want the boy with the sword."
Varyan's blood ran cold.
"How long do we have?"
"A day. Maybe two."
[Quest updated: "The Harvesters' Attack" – Defend the academy from the incoming Harvester assault. Recommended to evacuate non-bearers.]
Varyan stood. "Seris, get everyone to the chapel. Tobin, help Elara walk. Lira, warn the headmaster."
"What are you going to do?" Seris asked.
"I'm going to buy us time."
He walked o
ut, Oblivion's Edge in hand, and headed for the gates.